The present invention relates to surgical and dental procedures utilizing laser radiation.
In the treatment of various dental and other medical conditions, it is frequently necessary to remove bone, dentin, cementum or dental root material, and it is desirable to do so without subjecting the patient to adverse side effects.
Frequently, when performing medical procedures within the oral cavity, the practitioner encounters metal bodies introduced by previous dental procedures, such bodies being constituted by metal filling material, metal pins, and chrome posts used to secure dental prostheses in place, and it is necessary to cut these bodies, again without producing harmful side effects.
Also, dental practitioners frequently encounter cysts and granulomas, which occur in the gum adjacent the apex of a tooth, and it is necessary to destroy, or at least substantially reduce, these growths.
Furthermore, while a number of dental filling materials are presently available, there is a continuing need for material which can fill not only dental cavities, but also cavities existing in, or created in, bone material, and which will have a hardness comparable to that of the natural material which it replaces and form a strong bond with the wall of the cavity or opening.